Pipe Dreams Ch. 02

She couldn't have those feelings for Kane; he was her boss.

Tuesday morning Maggie left and since classes were out for both of them, Lina didn't have much to do. She cleaned and did some shopping; the stores were crazy of course but she got what she needed and got out. Not really having anything else to do she decided to go into the office and pick up the files she had on the applicants for the prospective staff they needed to hire for the new Okwa'ho programs.

She was weeding through them, picking out likely candidates based on the criteria Kane had set out. She thought some of his requirements were odd but considering how well the original program was doing he was obviously well schooled in picking employees. She would sort through her files, picking up the ones she'd yet to go through.

She saw a light at the end of the hall when she entered their floor. It was coming from Kane's office. Lina was surprised there was someone else working; Mrs. Lareux was gone for the Thanksgiving weekend and she hadn't expected anyone else to be there. She shrugged and headed to her own temporary office space; she didn't intend to be there long so there no need to disturb whoever else was working on their holiday break.

It was probably just the cleaning staff.

"Lina, what are you doing here?"

A man's voice coming from behind her startled Lina, making her gasp. She stood up and turned around quickly, her metal name placard from her desk clenched tight in one hand.

"Oh, Mr. Jacy! I just came in to get some paperwork to do." She dropped her makeshift weapon back on the desk, a little embarrassed.

Kane's eyebrow was raised as he watched her try to mask the movement. "Paperwork? Over the holidays? Won't your family be upset you're not spending time with them?"

Lina shrugged. "No family and I decided not to go to Hawaii for the holiday with Maggie's family." She fell silent, not really sure why she told him that little bit of information. He was pretty good at innocuous small talk but she'd managed to keep most of her history to herself over their dinners. She usually refused to speak of personal issues like her family, or lack thereof. She had put all of that behind her when she moved and changed her name. A fresh start was all she really needed when she left California and other than Maggie, no one knew the truth.

Well, and her therapist.

There was a look on Kane's face she didn't quite understand. He was in jeans and a polo shirt, a far cry from the usual suit and tie. The shirt was slightly stretchy and clung to his shoulders and arms. She blinked, realizing what she was doing, namely ogling her boss. Her eyes snapped up and focused back on his face.

Of course that really wasn't any better. She had known that his hair was longer than usual for a businessman but it was usually pulled back into a small queue, a tight band keeping it severely away from his face. Today he had it down and it fell in waves to his neck, skimming cheeks that were covered in a sexy stubble where they were usually shaved smooth.

"So you have nowhere to go for Thanksgiving?" he asked. He leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms over his chest as he watched her, a strange look on his face. The move pulled his shirt even tighter over his muscled body. Who knew his suit hid such a form? He had to work out for hours after work each day.

She shrugged, trying to keep cool while her heart was pounding a million miles an hour. The man was just so damn handsome, she wasn't sure what she liked better, him in his suit with a clean cut powerful aura or this more relaxed sexy muscle god in a pair of tight jeans look.

"I have somewhere; I just didn't want to go. It's not like no one invited me."

"What if I invited you?"

He... invite her? She broke his stare, unable to bear the intensity. She couldn't help but eye his chest again, the muscles bunched where his arms were crossed and then flexing as he took a deep breath and laughed. Her head snapped up, she hated being laughed at.

Boss or not boss, if he was laughing at her...

He wasn't though. His face was anything but mocking. "Um, invite me to what?"

"Oh come on," he straightened from his casual lean and took a step closer, "You know what I mean. Will you spend Thanksgiving with me and my family?"

Lina bit her lip. His family? With that one question posed to herself, she realized that she knew as little about Kane's family as she had told him about hers. All in all, pretty much nothing. She knew his dad had died; that's how he inherited Jacy Industries, but was his mom still alive? Siblings? Cousins?

"I don't know if that would be very appropriate. Do you frequently invite employees to holiday dinners with your family?"

He stalked into the room and Lina pressed back against her desk, the hard edge digging into her lower back. He was watching her with an intensity she hadn't seen since the first time they met at the lecture.

"What are you doing?" Lina's voice shook as he stopped just inches in front of her.

He radiated heat and she was cold. Something in her wanted to lean forward, press closer to his heated skin.

She leaned back instead.

His hand came up and she shied away further. He frowned angrily but quickly smoothed the expression when she sucked in a breath and turned her head to the side, looking away. His fingers lifted and gently brushed against her cheek and then down along her neck to curl around the back. His free hand came up and nudged her chin until she was staring into his eyes.

His large hands were gentle but firm as he held her steady and then leaned down.

Lina could feel her eyes go round and she gasped a little when she realized what he was going to do. She couldn't bring herself to pull away though and her eyes fluttered shut as she felt his breath against her lips. The kiss was gentle, his lips brushing against hers and pressing lightly. He barely traced the small gap between her lips with his tongue but made no move to deepen the kiss, seemingly content to caress her gently.

His fingers were massaging her neck and she felt boneless. She swayed into his body, catching herself with her palms against his chest. Her fingers curled into the fabric as she tried to stay on her feet. She was dizzy and breathless as the kiss went on and on. When he finally pulled away, the need for oxygen made them both gasp but she let out a wordless protest at the kiss ending as she caught her breath.

He chuckled and she could feel the vibration against her hands. He wrapped his free arm around her and rested his hand on the small of her back. He leaned down and gave her another kiss, deeper this time. His lips bit at hers softly and his tongue licked at the opening of her barely parted lips before he thrust inside. He caressed her mouth with his, the heat and taste of him consumed her until she was close to passing out but it wasn't nearly long enough for her when he pulled away again.

He stared down at her.

"I think we both know that you are not a regular employee. I know I came on too strong for you when we first met. I've been really trying to give you time to get used to me but I can't keep my distance any longer."

Lina's mind was spinning. Part of her was in shock that she had just been kissed by Alerkane Jacy. Another part of her was shocked that she'd let him touch her. She bit her lip, something about him got past her defenses and made her feel safe. This time she didn't flinch when his hand came up and brushed a tendril of hair away from her face.

"I'm nothing special."

Kane made a sound of disagreement. "Nonsense. You're perfect," he said softly. He shot a hot look from her head to her feet and then stared into her eyes. "Besides, do you even know what you look like right now?"

Lina looked down and blushed. Since she hadn't expected to see anyone she hadn't changed from the comfortable clothes she had put on earlier, things she usually only wore on the weekend around the house. She had on a pair of tight jeans and an old shirt, one that molded to her chest a little bit too well. It had been one of her mom's but she loved it. She kept it, one of the few things saved from the fire.

She blushed; the fabric was getting so thin Kane could probably see the color of her blue bra. She had always worn business outfits to the office before, like dressing casually would mean relaxing her defenses.

"Sorry," she muttered.

His finger under her chin made her lift her face. "I like you. I want to spend time with you, have dinners where we don't talk about work. I have been trying to let you get to know me slowly but I find myself needing to be closer to you, much closer."

Lina was waiting for the familiar panic to hit her, the tight feeling in her chest making it impossible to breathe. She was breathless, but in a good way; the spicy scent of his cologne filling her lungs. She realized her hands were slowly brushing back and forth, caressing him through his soft t-shirt as she stared into his pale blue eyes, trying to see into him, see if he would hurt her.

All she saw was the same kindness he had shown her for the last two months and the laughter and a joy in life that was usually hidden behind his stern facade. She liked the way it eased the stress wrinkles on his forehead and made his eyes gleam. He looked younger and so much happier. She could feel the same inside when she was with him, the happiness that made her feel as if she would burst. Her dreams had been filled with caresses and kisses from Kane since she met him but not one of them had been nearly as perfect as what they just shared.

She wanted more too.

"I want..." she paused, gathering her courage, "I want that too but--"

He interrupted her, "No buts. That's good enough for me; we can work out anything you feel is a problem together. Just give me a chance."

She had to make sure he understood first. "I've never done this before, dating someone," she admitted, before he could stop her again. She had to tell him just enough. "My dad wasn't someone that inspired a lot of trust in men for me. I haven't found anyone who made me feel safe enough to want to get close to them. But there's just something about you that draws me in."

Kane looked pleased. "Thank you, Lina," he said softly. "I've never really dated either, but I want to with you."

Lina frowned and pulled back a little. "I don't believe that you've never gone out with another woman. You're Kane Jacy for christ's sake! You're like, the city's most eligible bachelor."

Kane smiled. "Yes, I've gone out before to company events, fundraisers with women who are only after me for that sort of thing. That's not what I meant though."

Lina cocked her head and he smiled, his one finger of his free hand tracing her lips, making her shiver.

"I've never gone out with someone I truly wanted, someone who intrigued me and made me as... as happy, as I feel when I spend time with you. You don't seem to care about my money or try to use me to get noticed. You are so pure and I find myself wanting to claim a little bit of you that no one else has, something for me alone. I want to make you as happy as you have made me, just by being my friend and being willing to be more."

Lina melted. Literally, felt her insides warm and turn into goo when he said that. No one had ever said anything so beautiful to her or made her feel so special. She went up on tiptoe, her hands moving up to cup his face and she kissed him for the first time. She pressed against him and their lips moved together softly as she reveled in the sensations of arousal and pleasure with a man that she had never expected to find.

"Yes."

He cocked his head. "Yes?"

She smiled. "Yes, I'd love to have Thanksgiving dinner with your family."

Her softly spoken answer made him smile.